Configurable trim settings on a memory device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to configurable trim settings on a memory device. An example apparatus can include configuring a set of trim settings for an array of memory cells such that the array of memory cells have desired operational characteristics in response to being operated with the set of trim settings.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to memory systems, and moreparticularly, to apparatuses and methods with configurable trim settingson a memory device.

BACKGROUND

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor,integrated circuits and/or external removable devices in computers orother electronic devices. There are many different types of memoryincluding volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can requirepower to maintain its data and can include random-access memory (RAM),dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and synchronous dynamic randomaccess memory (SDRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can providepersistent data by retaining stored data when not powered and caninclude NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, read only memory (ROM), andresistance variable memory such as phase change random access memory(PCRAM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), magnetic random accessmemory (MRAM), and programmable conductive memory, among others.

Memory devices can be utilized as volatile and non-volatile memory for awide range of electronic applications in need of high memory densities,high reliability, and low power consumption. Non-volatile memory may beused in, for example, personal computers, portable memory sticks, solidstate drives (SSDs), digital cameras, cellular telephones, portablemusic players such as MP3 players, and movie players, among otherelectronic devices.

Resistance variable memory devices can include resistive memory cellsthat can store data based on the resistance state of a storage element(e.g., a resistive memory element having a variable resistance). Assuch, resistive memory cells can be programmed to store datacorresponding to a target data state by varying the resistance level ofthe resistive memory element. Resistive memory cells can be programmedto a target data state (e.g., corresponding to a particular resistancestate) by applying sources of an electrical field or energy, such aspositive or negative electrical pulses (e.g., positive or negativevoltage or current pulses) to the cells (e.g., to the resistive memoryelement of the cells) for a particular duration. A state of a resistivememory cell can be determined by sensing current through the cellresponsive to an applied interrogation voltage. The sensed current,which varies based on the resistance level of the cell, can indicate thestate of the cell.

One of a number of data states (e.g., resistance states) can be set fora resistive memory cell. For example, a single level memory cell (SLC)can be programmed to a targeted one of two different data states, whichcan be represented by the binary units 1 or 0 and can depend on whetherthe cell is programmed to a resistance above or below a particularlevel. As an additional example, some resistive memory cells can beprogrammed to a targeted one of more than two data states (e.g., 1111,0111, 0011, 1011, 1001, 0001, 0101, 1101, 1100, 0100, 0000, 1000, 1010,0010, 0110, and 1110). Such cells may be referred to as multi statememory cells, multiunit cells, or multilevel cells (MLCs). MLCs canprovide higher density memories without increasing the number of memorycells since each cell can represent more than one digit (e.g., more thanone bit).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system including an apparatus in the formof a computing device and an apparatus in the form of a memory device inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system including an apparatus in the formof a computing device and a number of apparatuses in the form of memorydevices in accordance with a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram including a table illustrating a number of trimsetting configurations for a memory device in accordance with a numberof embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram including tables with trim setting parametersassociated with operational characteristics of a memory device inaccordance with a number of embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related toconfigurable trim settings on a memory device. An example apparatus caninclude configuring a set of trim settings for an array of memory cellssuch that the array of memory cells have desired operationalcharacteristics in response to being operated with the set of trimsettings.

In a number of embodiments, the operational characteristics of a memorydevice can be monitored and the monitor operational characterizes of amemory device can be used to determine a set of trim settings for thememory device. The set of trim settings (e.g., trim settingconfiguration) can be based on the monitored operation characteristicsof the memory device, desired operational characteristics of the memorydevice, die information for the arrays of memory cells in the memorydevice, and/or metadata of the data stored on the memory device.

The set of trim settings determined by the controller can change theoperational characteristics of the memory device. For example, the setof trim settings determined by the controller change the operationalcharacteristics of the memory device from the monitored operationalcharacteristics to desired (e.g., target) operational characteristics.

In the following detailed description of the present disclosure,reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration how one or more embodimentsof the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art topractice the embodiments of this disclosure, and it is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical,and/or structural changes may be made without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure. As used herein, the designators “M”, “N”, and“X”, particularly with respect to reference numerals in the drawings,indicates that a number of the particular feature so designated can beincluded. As used herein, “a number of” a particular thing can refer toone or more of such things (e.g., a number of memory devices can referto one or more memory devices).

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. For example, 120 may referenceelement “20” in FIG. 1, and a similar element may be referenced as 220in FIG. 2. As will be appreciated, elements shown in the variousembodiments herein can be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as toprovide a number of additional embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 including an apparatus in theform of a computing device 102 and an apparatus in the form of a memorydevice 110 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, an “apparatus” can refer to, but is notlimited to, any of a variety of structures or combinations ofstructures, such as a circuit or circuitry, a die or dice, a module ormodules, a device or devices, or a system or systems, for example. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, system 102 can include a computingdevice 102, with controller 104, and memory device 110. The computingdevice 102 and the memory device 110 can communicate via communicationchannel 108. Memory device 110 can include array 112, which can includevolatile memory and/or non-volatile memory.

Controller 104 and/or a controller on memory device 110 can includecontrol circuitry, e.g., hardware, firmware, and/or software. In one ormore embodiments, controller 104 and/or a controller on memory device110 can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) coupled toa printed circuit board including a physical interface.

Memory device 110 can provide main memory for the system 100 or could beused as additional memory or storage throughout the system 100. System100 can include memory device 110 and/or a number of memory devices,where each memory device can include one or more arrays of memory cells112, e.g., non-volatile and/or volatile memory cells. The arrays can beflash arrays with a NAND architecture, for example. Embodiments are notlimited to a particular type of memory device. For instance, the memorydevice can include RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, PCRAM, RRAM, and/or flashmemory, among others.

The embodiment of FIG. 1 can include additional circuitry that is notillustrated so as not to obscure embodiments of the present disclosure.For example, the system 100 can include address circuitry to latchaddress signals provided over I/O connections through I/O circuitry.Address signals can be received and decoded by a row decoder and acolumn decoder to access the memory device 110. It will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that the number of address input connectionscan depend on the density and architecture of the memory device 110.

In a number of embodiments, trims that control the performance of thememory device 110 are located on the memory device 110. Controller 104can include registers, buffers, and/or memory to store trim settings 106that define the trims for the data in the memory device 110, operationalcharacteristics 120 of the memory device 110, die info 142 for the array112, and metadata 144 for the data in memory device 110. Trim settings106, operational characteristics 120, die info 142, and/or metadata 144can also be stored in the memory device 110. Trim settings 106 caninclude a number of parameters that can control the operation andperformance of the memory device. For example, the trim settings caninclude parameters such as the programming signal magnitude (e.g.,voltage and/or current level), erase signal magnitude (e.g., voltageand/or current level), sensing signal magnitude (e.g., voltage and/orcurrent level), programming signal length, erase signal length, sensingsignal length, number of bits per cells, number of programming signalsin a programming operation, number of sensing signals in a sensingoperation, and/or allowable programming operation rate for a memorydevice. Trim settings can include a number of settings for each of thenumber of parameters.

The trim settings can control the operational characteristics of thememory device 110. The operational characteristics of the memory devicecan include life span of the memory device 110, data retentioncharacteristics for the data in the memory device 110, the storagedensity (e.g., the number of bits stored) for the memory device 110,disturb characteristics for the data in the memory device 110,programming speed for the memory device 110, power consumption for thememory device 110, sensing speed for the memory device 110, operationtemperature for the memory device 110, and/or programming operation ratefor the memory device 110, among other operational characteristics. Thememory device 110 can be monitored by the controller 104 and theoperational characteristics 120 of the memory device 110 stored oncontroller 104 can include the monitored operation characteristics.Also, the operational characteristics 120 stored on controller 104 caninclude desired operational characteristics. Desired operationalcharacteristic can be input to the controller 104 from a host and/or bedetermined by controller 104 based on the monitored operationalcharacteristics of memory device 110.

In a number of embodiments, trim settings 106 can include a number ofconfigurations of trim setting parameters that can control theoperational characteristics of the memory device 110. A trim settingconfiguration can include setting each of the number of trim settingparameters at particular levels to provide particular operationalcharacteristics for memory device 110. A particular trim settingconfiguration can be associated with particular operationalcharacteristics for a memory device. A trim setting configuration usedto operate memory device 110 can be based on monitored and/or desiredoperational characteristics 120 for memory device 110, die info 142 forthe array 112, and/or metadata 144 for the data in memory device 110.

Trim settings 106 on controller 104 can include a look up table thatincludes a number of trim setting configurations. Also, trim settings106 in controller 104 can include trim setting configurations determinedby performing an algorithm that calculates trim setting configurationsfor memory device 110 based on monitored and/or desired operationalcharacteristics 120 for memory device 110, die info 142 for the array112, and/or metadata 144 for the data in memory device 110. A particulartrim setting configuration of the number of trim setting configurationsin trim settings 106 can be sent to memory device 110 and used by memorydevice 110 during operation to provide operational characteristics formemory device 110 associated with the particular trim settingconfiguration.

A trim setting configuration used by memory device 110 can control theoperational characteristics of memory device 110 such that memory device110 can perform with desired operational characteristics and/or closerto the desired operational characteristics than prior operationalcharacteristics of memory device 110.

The operational characteristics of memory device 110 can be controlledby the trim setting parameters in trims settings 106. For example, theoperational characteristic of life span for memory device 110 can bedependent on trim setting parameters such as the allowable programmingoperation rate and programming signal magnitude, for example. The lifespan of memory device 110 can be dependent on the allowable programmingoperation rate (e.g., the number of programming operations performedover a period of time) and the programming signal magnitude because amemory device has a finite number of times the memory cells of thememory device can be programmed before the memory cells fail, which inturn can be dependent on the magnitude of the programming signal used toprogram the memory cells. Therefore, the trim setting parameters formemory device 110 can include setting the allowable programmingoperation rate at a particular number of programming operations perminute to allow the memory device to have a particular life span basedon prior operational characteristics of the memory device, prior trimsetting configurations used by the memory device, and/or desiredoperational characteristics of the memory device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system including an apparatus in the formof a computing device and a number of apparatuses in the form of memorydevices in accordance with a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Computing device 202, with controller 204, can communicatewith memory device 210-1 via communication channel 208-1, memory device210-2 via communication channel 208-2, and memory device 210-X viacommunication channel 208-W. Memory device can include memory array212-1, memory device 210-2 can include memory array 212-2, and memorydevice 210-X can include memory array 212-Y. Memory devices 210-1,210-2, and 210-X can include any number of memory arrays of any type ofmemory, such as volatile and/or non-volatile memory.

Controller 204 can include buffers, registers, and or memory to storetrim settings 206 for memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X. Trimsettings 206 can be configured by controller 204 based on theoperational characteristics 206 memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X,the die information 242 of the arrays on of memory devices 210-1, 210-2,and 210-X, and/or the metadata for data stored on memory devices 210-1,210-2, and 210-X. The die information 242 can include manufacturing dataabout the memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X, such as portions ofthe arrays that may be more suited for particular types of data and/orportions of the array that are less reliable. The metadata 244 for thedata stored on memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X can includeinformation such as whether the data on the memory devices is hot orcold (e.g., whether the data has been recently updated or whether thedata has been on the memory device for a particular period of time).

The controller 204 can monitor memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X todetermine the operational characteristics of the memory devices 210-1,210-2, and 210-X. Also, memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X can sendoperational characteristics to the controller 204.

Controller 204 can send initial trim setting configurations to memorydevices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X and memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and210-X can operate using those initial trim setting configurations.Controller can monitor memory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X todetermine the operational characteristics of memory devices 210-1,210-2, and 210-X and, in turn, configure and determine new trim settingconfigurations using mathematical models and/or error-reducing feedbackalgorithms that can be used to change the operational characteristics ofmemory devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X.

Controller 204 can configure the trim settings so that memory devices210-1, 210-2, and 210-X will operate with desired operationalcharacteristics or change their operational characteristics to be closerto the desired operational characteristics. The desired operationalcharacteristics 220 can be based upon the type of data stored on memorydevices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X and/or the environment where memorydevices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-X. The desired operational characteristics220 can be determined by controller 204 based on monitored operationalcharacteristics 220 and/or based on input from a host.

In FIG. 2, trim setting 1 (TS-1) 209-1 can be sent to memory device210-1, trim setting 2 (TS-2) 209-2 can be sent to memory device 209-2,and trim setting N (TS-N) 209-N can be sent to memory device 210-X. Trimsetting 1 209-1 can be configured for memory device 209-1 by controller204 based on prior operational characteristics of memory device 209-1monitored by controller 204. Trim setting 2 209-2 can be configured formemory device 209-2 by controller 204 based on prior operationalcharacteristics of memory device 209-2 monitored by controller 204. Trimsetting N 209-N can be configured for memory device 209-N by controller204 based on prior operational characteristics of memory device 209-Nmonitored by controller 204.

FIG. 3 is a diagram including a table illustrating a number of trimsetting configurations for a memory device in accordance with a numberof embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, trim settingconfigurations 309-1, 309-2, and 309-N can include the trim settingparameters programming signal magnitude 370, sensing signal magnitude371, erase signal magnitude 372, programming signal length 373, erasesignal length 374, sensing signal length 375, number of bits per cell376, number of programming signals in a programming operation 377,number of sensing signals in a sensing operation 378, and allowableprogramming operation rate 379. Trim setting configurations 309-1,309-2, and 309-N can be set by a controller based on monitored and/ordesired operational characteristics for a memory device 110, die infofor the arrays of memory cells in a memory device, and/or metadata forthe data in a memory device. Desired operational characteristics can bebased on input from a host and/or monitored operational characteristicsfor a memory device. Trim setting configurations 309-1, 309-2, and 309-Ncan be configured and determined by a controller so that a memory devicecan operate with operational characteristics associated with theparticular trim setting configuration.

In FIG. 3, trim setting 1 309-1 can include programming signal magnitude370 at level 2, sensing signal magnitude 371 at level 2, erase signalmagnitude 372 at level 2, programming signal length 373 at level 2,erase signal length 374 at level 2, sensing signal length 375 at level2, number of bits per cell 376 at 1 bit per memory cell, number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation 377 at 1 programmingsignal per programming operation, number of sensing signals in a sensingoperation 378 at 1 sensing signal per sensing operation, and allowableprogramming operation rate 379 at 100 programming operations per minute.

Trim setting 1 309-1 can be associated with a memory device that is usedto store static and/or dynamic data that can be programmed and sensed ina variety of environments. The programming signal magnitude 370, sensingsignal magnitude 371, erase signal magnitude 372, programming signallength 373, erase signal length 374, sensing signal length 375 are allat level 2 such that the signals provide data retention, disturbcharacteristics, refresh operations, and/or replacement indications fora variety of operation conditions. The number of bits per memory cell is1 bit per memory cells so the memory cells can be programmed with only 1programming signal, which can allow memory cells to be programmedquicker and with less power when compared to memory cells programmedwith more bits and signals. For example, a controller can send data to aportion of the memory device that is using trim setting 1 309-1 wherethe data has characteristics that are suited to for operations, such asreading and/or writing the data, using the trim settings of trim setting1 309-1.

In FIG. 3, trim setting 1 309-2 can include programming signal magnitude370 at level 3, sensing signal magnitude 371 at level 3, erase signalmagnitude 372 at level 3, programming signal length 373 at level 3,erase signal length 374 at level 3, sensing signal length 375 at level3, number of bits per cell 376 at 3 bits per memory cell, number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation 377 at 3 programmingsignals per programming operation, number of sensing signals in asensing operation 378 at 1 sensing signal per sensing operation, andallowable programming operation rate 379 at 20 programming operationsper minute.

Trim setting 2 309-2 can be associated with a memory device that is usedto store static data that will be stored on the memory device withoutbeing updated frequently and can be retained in a variety ofenvironments. The programming signal magnitude 370, sensing signalmagnitude 371, erase signal magnitude 372, programming signal length373, erase signal length 374, sensing signal length 375 are all at level3 such that the signals provide data retention, disturb characteristics,refresh operations, and/or replacement indications for a variety of moreextreme of operation conditions (e.g., temperature variation betweenprogramming operations and sensing operations). The number of bits permemory cell is 3 bits per memory cells and the memory cells can beprogrammed with 3 programming signal, which can allow the data in thememory cells to be stable.

In FIG. 3, trim setting 1 309-N can include programming signal magnitude370 at level 1, sensing signal magnitude 371 at level 1, erase signalmagnitude 372 at level 1, programming signal length 373 at level 1,erase signal length 374 at level 1, sensing signal length 375 at level1, number of bits per cell 376 at 3 bits per memory cell, number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation 377 at 1 programmingsignal per programming operation, number of sensing signals in a sensingoperation 378 at 1 sensing signal per sensing operation, and allowableprogramming operation rate 379 at 500 programming operations per minute.

Trim setting N 309-N can be associated with a memory device that is usedto store dynamic data that will be stored on the memory device forshorter periods of time and/or be updated frequently. The programmingsignal magnitude 370, sensing signal magnitude 371, erase signalmagnitude 372, programming signal length 373, erase signal length 374,sensing signal length 375 are all at level 1 such that the signalsprovide programming speed and sensing speed to write and access datamore frequently than data that is to be retained for longer periods oftime. The number of bits per memory cell is 3 bits per memory cells sothe storage capacity of the memory device is higher than storing 1 bitper memory cell and the memory cells can be programmed with 1programming signal which allows data to be programmed quickly but havereduced data retention characteristics.

FIG. 4 is a diagram including tables with trim setting parametersassociated with operational characteristics of a memory device inaccordance with a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. InFIG. 4, the operational characteristics of a memory device include lifespan 461, data retention 462, storage density 463, disturbcharacteristics 464, programming speed 465, power consumption 466,sensing speed 467, and temperature 468. The operational characteristicsin FIG. 4, among other operational characteristics, can be affectedand/or controlled by trim setting parameters. In FIG. 4, the trimsetting parameters associated with operational characteristics of amemory device include programming signal magnitude 470, sensing signalmagnitude 471, erase signal magnitude 472, programming signal length473, erase signal length 474, sensing signal length 475, number of bitsper cell 476, number of programming signals in a programming operation477, number of sensing signals in a sensing operation 478, and allowableprogramming operation rate 479. Embodiments of the present disclosureare not limited to the trim setting parameters in FIG. 4 and can includeother trim setting parameters that are associated with operationalcharacteristics of a memory device.

In FIG. 4, life span 461 of a memory device can be associated with theallowable programming operation rate 479, the programming signalmagnitude 471, and programming signal length. Memory cells of memorydevices can be programmed a finite number of times before they willfail. The number of times memory cells can be programmed is alsoassociated with the magnitude and duration of the programming signalsused to the program the memory cells. Trim setting configurations caninclude setting an allowable programming operation rate 479, along withthe programming signal magnitude 471 and programming signal length toaffect the life span 461 of the memory device.

In FIG. 4, data retention 462 in a memory device can be associated withthe programming signal magnitude 471 and programming signal length. Dataretention 462 in a memory device is the length of time after memorycells are programmed that bits of data stored in memory cells can beread without error. The magnitude of the programming signal and thelength that the programming signal is applied to the memory cells canaffect the data retention 462 characteristics of a memory device. Forexample, the voltage of the programming signal can be a particularmagnitude such that the memory cell can be read over a period timedespite voltage drift and/or disturb affecting reading of the data inthe memory cells. Also, the length of the programming signal can beassociated ensuring that programming operations are programming memorycells to the desired voltage to have desired data retentioncharacteristics. Trim setting configurations can include setting theprogramming signal magnitude 471 and programming signal length 473 toaffect data retention 462 characteristics in a memory device.

In FIG. 4, storage density 463 of a memory device can be associated withthe number of bits per cell 476 and the number of programming signals ina programming operation 477. Storage density 463 of a memory device caninclude the number of bits stored per memory cell. A first portion of amemory device can store a first number of bits per memory cell and asecond portion of a memory device can store a second number of bits permemory cell. Trim setting configurations that include setting thestorage density 463 of a memory device can affect the programming speedof a memory device, the amount of data that can be stored on a memorydevice, and/or the power consumption of memory device, among otheroperational characteristics of a memory device. A memory device caninclude trim setting configurations that include the number of bits permemory cell 476 and the number of programming signals in a programmingoperation 477 to affect the storage density 463 of a memory device.

In FIG. 4, disturb 464 characteristics of a memory device can beassociated with programming signal magnitude 470, sensing signalmagnitude 471, erase signal magnitude 472, programming signal length473, erase signal length, 474, sensing signal length 475, number ofsensing signals in a sensing operation 478, number of programmingsignals in a programming operation 477, and number of bits per memorycell 476. Memory cells can be affected by other memory cells in a memorydevice. For example, the voltage of memory cell and how it wasprogrammed to that voltage can affect the voltage of other memory cells.Also, how memory cells are sense and/or erased can affect the voltage ofother memory cells. The effects of memory cells on each other in memorydevices can be referred to as disturb characteristics 464 of the memorydevice due memory cells disturbing other memory cells. A memory devicecan include trim setting configurations that include the programmingsignal magnitude 470, the sensing signal magnitude 471, the erase signalmagnitude 472, the programming signal length 473, the erase signallength, 474, the sensing signal length 475, the number of sensingsignals in a sensing operation 478, the number of programming signals ina programming operation 477, and the number of bits per memory cell 476of a memory device to affect the disturb 464 characteristics of a memorydevice.

In FIG. 4, programming speed 465 of a memory device can be associatedwith the number of programming signals in a programming operation 477,allowable programming operation rate 479, programming signal magnitude470, and the programming signal length 473. Trim setting configurationsthat include setting the programming speed 465 of a memory device canaffect data retention in a memory device, the life span of a memorydevice, and/or the power consumption of memory device, among otheroperational characteristics of a memory device. A memory device caninclude trim setting configurations that include the number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation 477, the allowableprogramming operation rate 479, the programming signal magnitude 470,and the programming signal length 473 to affect the programming speed465 of a memory device.

In FIG. 4, power consumption 466 of a memory device can be associatedwith programming signal magnitude 470, sensing signal magnitude 471,erase signal magnitude 472, programming signal length 473, erase signallength, 474, sensing signal length 475, number of sensing signals in asensing operation 478, and number of programming signals in aprogramming operation 477. Power consumption of 466 of a memory devicecan be affected by the voltage level that is being used to program,erase, and sense the memory cells, along with the duration and number ofsignals that are being used to program, erase, and sense the memorycells. A memory device can include trim setting configurations thatinclude the programming signal magnitude 470, the sensing signalmagnitude 471, the erase signal magnitude 472, the programming signallength 473, the erase signal length 474, the sensing signal length 475,the number of sensing signals in a sensing operation 478, the number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation 477, of a memory deviceto affect the power consumption 466 of a memory device.

In FIG. 4, sensing speed 467 of a memory device can be associated withthe number of sensing signals in a sensing operation 478, the sensingsignal magnitude 471, and the sensing signal length 475. Trim settingconfigurations that include setting the sensing speed 467 of a memorydevice can affect the latency associated with performing read operationson a memory device. A memory device can include trim settingconfigurations that include the number of sensing signals in a sensingoperation 478, the sensing signal magnitude 471, and the sensing signallength 475 to affect the sensing speed 467 of a memory device.

In FIG. 4, the temperature 468 of a memory device can be associated withprogramming signal magnitude 470, sensing signal magnitude 471, erasesignal magnitude 472, programming signal length 473, erase signallength, 474, sensing signal length 475, number of sensing signals in asensing operation 478, and number of programming signals in aprogramming operation 477. Memory cells can be affected by thetemperature of memory device. For example, the temperature of memorydevice when memory cells are programmed and/or read can affect thesignals used to program, erase, and sense the memory cells. Also,temperature of a memory device when data is programmed and/or read canaffect data retention characteristics, the programming speed, sensingspeed, power consumption, and life span of a memory device. A memorydevice can include trim setting configurations that include theprogramming signal magnitude 470, the sensing signal magnitude 471, theerase signal magnitude 472, the programming signal length 473, the erasesignal length, 474, the sensing signal length 475, the number of sensingsignals in a sensing operation 478, and the number of programmingsignals in a programming operation 477 of a memory device to account forthe temperature 468 of a memory device.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anarrangement calculated to achieve the same results can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coveradaptations or variations of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. It is to be understood that the above description has beenmade in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combinationof the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specificallydescribed herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art uponreviewing the above description. The scope of the various embodiments ofthe present disclosure includes other applications in which the abovestructures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of variousembodiments of the present disclosure should be determined withreference to the appended claims, along with the full range ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining thedisclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the disclosed embodiments of the presentdisclosure have to use more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matterlies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus,the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: an array of memorycells; and a controller, wherein the controller is coupled to the arrayof memory cells and includes control circuitry configured to: determinea set of trim settings for the array of memory cells such that the arrayof memory cells have operational characteristics comprising a desiredlife span in response to being operated with the determined set of trimsettings, wherein the determined set of trim settings are determined byperforming an algorithm to calculate a trim setting configurationcomprising a number of trim setting parameters including an allowableprogramming operation rate, a programming signal magnitude, and aprogramming signal length to change a life span of the array of memorycells from a prior life span of the array of memory cells associatedwith a prior trim setting configuration having a prior allowableprogramming operation rate, a prior programming signal magnitude, and aprior programming signal length to the desired life span.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the desired life span of the array ofmemory cells are based on prior operations performed on the array ofmemory cells.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prior life spanof the array of memory cells is monitored by the controller.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, the set of trim settings are determined based onoperational characteristics of the array monitored by the controller. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristicsinclude data retention characteristics for the array of memory cells. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristicsinclude storage density characteristics for the array of memory cells.7. An apparatus, comprising: an array of memory cells; and a controller,wherein the controller is coupled to the array of memory cells andincludes control circuitry configured to: monitor operationalcharacteristics comprising storage density characteristics of the arrayof memory cells; and determine a set of trim settings for the array ofmemory cells by performing an algorithm to calculate a trim settingconfiguration based on the monitored storage density characteristics ofthe array of memory cells, wherein the algorithm calculates a number ofprogramming signals in a programming operation and a number of bits percells for the trim setting configuration for the trim settingconfiguration and wherein the trim setting configuration of the set oftrim settings are calculated to change the storage densitycharacteristics of the array of memory cells from the monitored storagedensity characteristics associated with a prior trim settingconfiguration having a prior number of programming signals in aprogramming operation and a prior number of bits per cells for the trimsetting configuration to desired storage density characteristics.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to operatethe array of memory cells using the determined set of trim settings. 9.The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the storage density characteristicsare monitored in response to operating the array of memory cells withthe determined set of trim settings.
 10. A method, comprising:determining a set of trim settings for a memory device based onoperational characteristics comprising data retention characteristics ofthe memory device by performing an algorithm to calculate a trim settingconfiguration comprising a programming signal magnitude and aprogramming signal length for the determined set of trim settings; andoperating the memory device using the trim setting configurationcomprising the programming signal magnitude and the programming signallength calculated by the algorithm for the determined set of trimsettings, wherein the trim setting configuration of the determined setof trim settings are calculated to change the data retentioncharacteristics of the array of memory cells from prior data retentioncharacteristics associated with a prior trim setting configurationhaving a prior programming signal magnitude and a prior programmingsignal length to desired data retention characteristics.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein the method includes monitoring the operationalcharacteristics of the memory device.
 12. The method of claim 10,further including determining the set of trim settings based on dieinformation for an array of memory cells in the memory device.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, further including determining the set of trimsettings based on metadata for data in the memory device.
 14. The methodof claim 10, wherein the method includes updating the determined set oftrim settings in response to a change in the data retentioncharacteristics of the memory device.
 15. A method, comprising:monitoring operational characteristics of a memory device, wherein theoperational characteristics are affected by a number of trim settingparameters comprising a programming signal magnitude, a sensing signalmagnitude, an erase signal magnitude, a programming signal length, anerase signal length, a sensing signal length, a number of bits per cell,a number of programming signals in a programming operation, a number ofsensing signals in a sensing operation, and an allowable programmingoperation rate; and configuring a set of trim settings for the memorydevice based on the monitored operational characteristics of the memorydevice, wherein the set of trim settings include the number of trimsetting parameters that are determined by performing an algorithm tocalculate a trim setting configuration to change the operationalcharacteristics of the memory device from the monitored operationalcharacteristics to desired operational characteristics, wherein the trimsetting configuration changes at least one of the programming signalmagnitude, the sensing signal magnitude, the erase signal magnitude, theprogramming signal length, the erase signal length, the sensing signallength, the number of bits per cell, the number of programming signalsin the programming operation, the number of sensing signals in thesensing operation, and the allowable programming operation rate andwherein the monitored operational characteristics are based on a priortrim setting configuration that the memory device was using and whereinthe trim setting configuration calculated by the algorithm changes atleast one trim setting parameter of the prior trim settingconfiguration.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein configuring the setof trim settings includes changing the number of trim setting parametersassociated with a particular operational characteristic of the memorydevice.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein configuring the set of trimsettings includes setting the allowable programming operation rate, theprogramming signal magnitude, and the programming signal length tomanage a life span of the memory device.
 18. The method of claim 15,wherein configuring the set of trim settings includes setting theprogramming signal magnitude and the programming signal length to managedata retention characteristics of the memory device.
 19. The method ofclaim 15, wherein configuring the set of trim settings includes settingthe number of bits per memory cell and the number of programming signalsin the programming operation to manage storage density of the memorydevice.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein configuring the set of trimsettings includes setting the programming signal magnitude, the sensingsignal magnitude, the erase signal magnitude, the programming signallength, the erase signal length, the sensing signal length, the numberof sensing signals in the sensing operation, the number of programmingsignals in the programming operation, and the number of bits per memorycell to manage disturb characteristics of the memory device.
 21. Themethod of claim 15, wherein configuring the set of trim settingsincludes setting the number of programming signals in a programmingoperation, the allowable programming operation rate, the programmingsignal magnitude, and the programming signal length to manage aprogramming speed of the memory device.
 22. The method of claim 15,wherein configuring the set of trim settings includes setting theprogramming signal magnitude, the sensing signal magnitude, the erasesignal magnitude, the programming signal length, the erase signallength, the sensing signal length, the number of sensing signals in thesensing operation, the number of programming signals in the programmingoperation to manage power consumption of the memory device.
 23. Themethod of claim 15, wherein configuring the set of trim settingsincludes setting the number of sensing signals in the sensing operation,the sensing signal magnitude, and the sensing signal length to manage asensing speed of the memory device.
 24. The method of claim 15, whereinconfiguring the set of trim settings includes setting the programmingsignal magnitude, the sensing signal magnitude, the erase signalmagnitude, the programming signal length, the erase signal length, thesensing signal length, the number of sensing signals in the sensingoperation, and the number of programming signals in the programmingoperation device to account for a temperature of the memory device.